Key Facts About Franklin Delano Floyd
- Franklin Delano Floyd kidnapped Suzanne Marie Sevakis when she was a child, raised her under fake names, and eventually married her.
- In 1990, Suzanne was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run incident. Four years later, Floyd abducted their 6-year-old son, Michael Hughes.
- After being caught for Michael’s kidnapping, Floyd faced murder charges for killing Cheryl Ann Commesso, a dancer from Suzanne’s previous workplace, and confessed to the murder of the young boy as well.
Franklin Delano Floyd, known for his criminal past, died on death row in Florida in 2023 after being linked to the tragic fate of his son, whom he had with Suzanne, a girl he had kidnapped and raised as his own.
Suzanne, originally named Suzanne Marie Sevakis, was only about five years old when Floyd took her away after a brief marriage to her mother.
During her mother’s time in jail, Floyd disappeared with Suzanne and her baby brother, Phillip. While Suzanne’s two sisters were later found in foster care, Suzanne and Phillip remained missing. Years later, Phillip approached authorities, but Suzanne never learned her real identity.
Before meeting Suzanne’s mother, Floyd had already served time in prison for kidnapping and assaulting a young girl, according to FBI records.
Throughout the years, Floyd moved Suzanne across state lines, often changing her name. In high school, she was known as Sharon Marshall, an excellent student who earned a scholarship to Georgia Tech. She later had a son, Michael, with Floyd in 1988.
The family moved to Tampa, where Suzanne worked as a dancer. In 1989, she and Floyd married in New Orleans under false identities.
In April 1990, Suzanne was discovered unconscious on the roadside outside Oklahoma City with groceries scattered around her. Initially thought to be a hit-and-run, it was later revealed she suffered severe injuries and died the next day.
Following her death, Suzanne’s identity was unknown, and Michael was sent to foster care. In 1994, Floyd forcefully abducted Michael from school at gunpoint, and they vanished.
Floyd was arrested in Kentucky two months later, but Michael was not found, and he remained silent about the boy’s whereabouts. He was convicted of kidnapping charges.
During the investigation, photos found in Floyd’s truck showed a woman who appeared to be bound and beaten. She was later identified as Cheryl Ann Commesso, a fellow dancer, whose remains were found nearby.
Floyd was charged with her murder, convicted, and sentenced to death in 2002. In 2014, he confessed to killing Michael, admitting he shot the boy after becoming frustrated with his behavior.
Floyd claimed he buried Michael’s body near a Texas interstate exit, but it has never been located.
Investigators would later confirm that “Tonya Hughes,” the name Suzanne used at her death, was indeed Suzanne Marie Sevakis, the long-lost daughter of her mother’s brief husband.
“We were able to find her birth parents and give them some closure,” said Special Agent Scott Lobb.
Unfortunately, the details surrounding Suzanne’s death remain unclear, as Floyd has never faced charges related to her passing. “That’s one thing Floyd won’t discuss,” Lobb mentioned.
After years of legal delays due to mental fitness questions, Floyd passed away from natural causes in 2023 at age 79. “A better thing couldn’t happen to a worse person,” stated Bruce Bartlett, a state attorney who prosecuted Floyd.
